7 Smart Ways to Make Money Homesteading

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Support yourself & finance your homestead endeavors with these 7 ways to make money homesteading…

Having your own homestead can be a rewarding and fulfilling journey on its own – but what if your goal is to make money homesteading? Even if you’re not planning to make a full-time income homesteading, wouldn’t it be nice to at least cover some of your expenses with a little side income?

The good news is, there are lots of ways to make money homesteading! From selling homemade goods, to produce, eggs, or meat, to renting out animals (such as breeding stock or goats), all you need is some creativity and a few ideas to get started.

One good goal to start with is to consider the profit potential of any new addition to the homestead, and try to find a way to make the new endeavor at least pay for itself. You’ll also want to consider ways that you can save money around the homestead – whether that means consuming what you produce rather than buying it, or finding frugal ways to re-use and repurpose items you already have. After all, the old adage “a penny saved is a penny earned” still holds true today – especially for homesteaders seeking self-sufficiency!

Here are a few ideas for making money homesteading – from the awesome homesteaders over at RootsAndRefuge.com:

1.) Chickens

One of the top suggestions for making money on a homestead is to sell eggs. My main hesitation with this is that chickens are pretty fickle.

Chickens can stop laying eggs for many different reasons. This post can help identify those reasons if your chickens have stopped laying eggs.

Even if you are only selling a few dozen, and it’s not a main source of income, you need to have a consistent supply in order to keep your customers happy.

A better option I have found is to choose a breed of chickens that lays distinctive eggs or a flock of heritage breed chickens. Then take those eggs and sell them as hatching eggs or hatch them out and sell them as hatchlings in the spring.

2.) Ducks

Ducks are another type of poultry that is common but not as readily available as chickens. Duck eggs sell better than chicken eggs and for twice as much money. Taking care of ducks is similar to chickens. They are great foragers. Shelter, feed, and water need to be provided.

3.) Quail

Quail eggs are good for eating or can be sold as hatching eggs. They are usually easy to sell at markets because they are small and attractive eggs.

4.) Goats

If you have a home dairy with goats, you will end up with baby goats. In order to stay in milk, you will need to breed the goats every year. Each goat mama will have 1-4 kids per year. As with poultry, you have a similar option of developing a good line of goats and selling the goat kids.

If you choose to do the research, you can also purchase and build a line of registered, well-bred goats. By doing the work of registering, you can make more money when you sell the goat kids…

Another way to make money with goats is to sell raw milk. Goat milk is in high demand in some locations. If you have goats you need to milk, learn how to milk goats by hand.

You can also offer your buck for stud services. Here again, if you can spend the money on the front end and buy into a good quality breed line, you can offer stud services for more money.

5.) Puppy Breeding

I am not an advocate of puppy mills, but breeding puppies can be done correctly. Guardian dogs are needed on farms. If they are bred responsibly in a safe environment, breeding out health conditions, and tested for genetic conditions, this can be a lucrative source of income.

6.) Gardening – Growing Vegetables to Make Money

• Seed Starts – Sell seedlings in the spring in preparation for the growing season. Choose unique heirloom seeds that aren’t commonly available. Learn about the advantages of starting seeds indoors and how to start seeds indoors if you are interested in this avenue of income.
• Vegetables – Feed your family first, and then sell extra vegetables from your garden at a roadside stand or farmer’s markets.
• Boxes of Produce – Advertise weekly in-season produce boxes for a certain dollar amount. Meet in a central location and deliver all boxes at once or have a time period every week for pickup at your house.

7.) Animal Droppings (Manure)

If you have farm animals, you will accumulate a lot of manure. Rabbit poop is great for gardens. Sell it in five-gallon buckets and make your neighbors happy. You could also make your own compost to sell with used animal bedding from your barn.

Additionally, worm castings create nutrient-rich soil. It is becoming increasingly popular to raise worms in order to provide fertilizer for your own garden. If you already farm your own worm castings, why not create a little extra to offer this resource to others in your community?

Besides these ideas, there are plenty of other ways to make money homesteading as well! If you’re crafty, consider making and selling homemade crafts. Growing specialty products such as mushrooms or microgreens can help you command a higher price for your produce. You can also receive a premium for your homegrown produce by processing it into jams, jellies, sauces, or other food products. (Be sure to check with your state extension office on procedures and processes to be able to legally sell kitchen-made products.)  Or offer farm equipment that you already own for rent to other nearby small homesteaders or gardeners.

With a bit of creativity, you’ll be able to make multiple streams of income from your homestead!

 

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